Electric iron cord support



Feb. 27, 951

o. B. GROSS 2,543,239

ELECTRIC IRON CORD SUPPORT -Filed Feb, 7, 1950 "Huang-n.. MALL w OWE/V Bgoss,

INVEN TOR.

Patented Feb. 27, 1951 UNITED EzN- l 0F FIG E ELECTRIC IRON CORDiSIIPP-ORTI' OWenB'." Gross, Pasadena, .Dttlif.

Application February 7, 1950; SrialN0;-142',860

(Cl; ,248e-51 stoma-ms.. 1.

Thisdnventionirelates to :acdevicei or yieldingly,

supporting the: conductor; of] an:v electric: iron' high enough above anironing board. toafiordi-the operator freedom ofmovement of ,the -ironand i so as to protect the cord; fromrdamagevduerto twisting: or contactwith 1; the iron during; theoperation thereof.

It is the objectof' the presentzinventionlto provide a; cord supportingdevice which may readily be clamped inrposition on the edge: of thetypesof ironing; boards? in common use: atpthe present time: It 'isrwafurther. object to provide the. cordxsupportwhich,-. whilein. use, ,m'aybe held. firmly; clamped: in upright position but which; when theironing board is .put. away; for storage: may. be; swung: downwardinto:;contact with? the operating surface:- of! the board.- An:-

other-ob-iect isrto providemeans-for locking .the

device in; contact with 'the;.-board;-.

These-"and". other 'objectsaof. the invention, to.-

ge-ther with the many;' advantageous features thereof willbebetter-understood from the following detailed; description, particularlyref.- erence is hadi-to the--accompanying. drawingyin which:

Fig. 13 is; a, fragmentary.- cross-.-sectional.- end view of' an-ironingboard showingthetdevice tof.

they-invention clamped-inposition; thereon as in practice Y Fig; 2 is a;substantially. corresponding-1 cross.-

sectional sideyviewof .amortionrof ithe board with the device: oftheinventiorr clamped. inposition thereon;v

Fig. 3-.is-. an end view of the. cord support as it appears-in itsrelation :to the::ironing .boardland in a different positionofladiustmenty.

Fig. 4-isa. substantially. corresponding... plan viewwof the.device;.

Fig 5.shows a clampingqelement ofthe device modified as required for.mountingwn .-.a di-fierent type of. ironing board; and,

Fig. .6 is a. side.-.-elevationalj view of the. device with portions.thereof... broken away; in order to disclose .the interiormeoh'anismthereof.

Aszillustrated. in Fig. '1', the numeral I denotes aeonventional woodenironing-board'toiwhichiis,

shown applied the usualipadding. 2i The; cord support.v of the.invention. consists; mainly. of a body, portion 3-i from. which extends.a clamping member. or tongue- 4- which isishapedito. fit over thesideedgeof the ironing;.b'oard.fl Thisxcord support is l conventionallymade. from. a strip of metal: of? suificientu strength. and resilience.to maintain it firmly-in position; on. the. ironing board when pressedagainst the sidetedgeitherethezzstrip do not meet bntathatthenarrowmpeningxomgapfivis formed between-:the edges-forthe purpose which'.will;'now.a be" described. The end 8; of the; body: is partly 1 closedasgby means. of lips 9.

A: cylindrical .ab'odyz orz plungera. lfleis fitted toslideawithintheatubuhr body} and "this plun er is. radially; recessed:from the: circumference thereof .toireceive andzrigidlyisupport a-WiIGIOl rod; I '5 which; aszbest' showrrinhie. 2; rises through-thegapsfisof thezttubulargbody 52. The root: is; at: the: upper; endthereof: shown; downwardly fo1ded:ito.;form;a .hook:.l2 of aawidthtoprovide therein a: recess; l 3;; intogwhioh. the. cord 1 Mai'therelectric. iron-may be seatedx When :the

20 erode I l issmadeafmm;.resi1ient material; such aspianoizwirezorythe;like; it .is-found not only, that thea'cord may...beheld ;firmly;c1amped in position withimthe ihook l2 butzalsoethat therod,i.when of; sufficient ,height; to. maintain-1 the. cord supportedazconsiderablezdistance above: the; surface of fthe:board; ..wi1l-.y.i'eld, to, :any; pulL-On the. cord incidental to .operationsuoftheiron;

AseshownainiFig; 1,- the-rod is; rig-idly held in uprightpositionwithinthe-gap fivand willremain-in- .thisapositionaduring;,ordinary .operations ofiithe iron; When thezironingbo-ard isno. longer tvCXIbe': used: and isto.- ber-stored I awayuntilrequired-forrfurther use;.it is merely required towithdraw.the-cmsdsupport therefrom and to put .itaaway;untiliagain-needed- This method .may,

however betfound disadvantageous for. the reason thatstoringspace; mustbe---provided=for the cord support after it has been removed from theboardlan'd that wheniremoved-fit may. be misrlaidand-:notreadilyioundwhen required foruse.

It may also .be'; found. that, due. to carelessban-.- dlingpthe.support-.may be damagedor perhaps even, entirely. ruined: It is forthese. reasons found advantageousso, to. construct the device that therod :may be folded .1againstpthesurface of the ironing boardwhen notinuse inwhich case. it. may remain permanently in position thereon andstored. away, withthe. board; For the. purpose .of such folding ,I haveshown ,a, slot .Textendingfr'om the gap fidownward along the outer. walliof the tubular. member: 5" to a position neanthe lbottom .thereofi Thisnot is. of i aiwidth too receivetherein .the; rod I I. when the plungeris. axially. moved. within.- the; support. until the rodireachesethe.position.ofregistration with the slot whereupon the rod may be swungdownward in the position substantially as shown in Fig. 3. When thisslot is nearer the right end 8 of the support and when the plunger iscarefully fitted to slide within the support, it is found that it willremain securely in any position of adjustment.

While the conventional wooden ironing boards are preferred by mostusers, it is at times found more convenient to use a board which is madefrom other material such as a metal casting or perhaps a plasticmolding. Such a board is, in Fig. 5, shown to consist of a relativelythin plate the side edges of which are downwardly extended to form thinflanges 2| and 22. In order to reinforce such structure and so as to beable to make it out of thin light material it is customary to place anadditional flange 23 near each side edge of the board and in parallelspaced relation to these edges. When this type of board is used, itbecomes necessary in order to clamp the cord support securely inposition thereon to extend the lip 25 inwardly far enough to come torest against this additional flange 23. As indicated at 2B, the tongueis extended inwardly a distance beyond this flange and this is done tomake certain that the tongue may adapt itself to variations in distancebetween this flange and the outer flange of the board.

It was above stated that, when the plunger is carefully fitted withinthe tubular support, it

may be relied upon to remain in any position of adjustment duringordinary operation of the device. In addition, it is possible, ifdesired, to

provide means designed to'urge the plunger toward the bottom of thetubular support in order that in case it should accidentally becomeshifted between the open end of the support spring 3i is placed withinthis plunger to occupy 1 the space between the bottom thereof and thelips 9 which close the entrance to the support. The tension of thisspring should be calculated surely to return the plunger to bottomposition and at the same time to permit of manual movement of theplunger within the support as required in order to fold the rod againstthe surface of the board. In addition, it may be found advantageous incases where the support remains in position on the board while thelatter is folded and stored away to provide means for locking the rod inposition against the surface of the board. In order to do this, it ismerely required to extend the bottom of the slot 1 axially a shortdistance to the left, as indicated at 32 in Fig. 5. When this recess isadded it is found that the rod, as it is swung downward through the slot'1, will by the spring 3| be pushed into this recess thereby to lock therod in collapsed position against the surface of the board.

I claim:

1. For use on an ironing board, a support for a flexible currentconducting cord including a tubular body having a board clamping memberextending from the inner end thereof, the body having at the top anaxially directed slot therein and a downwardly directed extension ofsaid slot nearly to the bottom of the body along one side and near theouter end thereof, there being an axially directed recess at the bottomof said 4 slot extension, a plunger slidable within said body, a springurging the plunger against the inner end of the body, a rod rising fromthe plunger through said slot for movement with the plunger along saidslot against the tension of said spring into registration with anddownwardly through said vertical extension of the slot to the bottomthereof, the tension of the spring urging the rod into said recess tolock the rod in position therein.

2. For use on an ironing board, a support for a flexible currentconducting cord made from a strip of flat resilient material, one end ofthe strip being folded to provide a tubular body having in the uppersurface thereof an axially directed slot from which extends a downwardlydirected slot along one side of the body, the opposite end of the stripbeing downwardly and inwardly bent to form, a clamp shaped forengagement with the board at the edge thereof to maintain the supportfirmly clamped in position thereon, a plunger seated for axial movementwithin the body, the outer end of the body having inwardly bent lipslimiting movement of the plunger therein, a rod rising from the plungerthrough said slot for axial movement therein with the plunger intoregistration with and downwardly through said vertically directed slot.

3. For use on an ironing board, a support for a flexible currentconducting cord made from a strip of flat resilient material, one end ofthe strip being folded to provide a tubular body having in the uppersurface thereof an axially directed slot from which extends a downwardlydirected slot along one side of the body, the opposite end of the stripbeing downwardly and inwardly bent to form a clamp shaped for engagementwith the board at the edge thereof to maintain the support firmlyclamped in position thereon, a thimble shaped plunger seated for axialmovement within the body, the outer end of the body having inwardly bentlips limiting movement of the plunger therein, a compression spring inthe plunger bearing against said lips to urge the plunger against theinner end of the body, a rod rising from the plunger through said slotfor axial movement therein with the plunger against the tension of saidspring into registration with and downwardly through said verticallydirected slot, the outer end of the rod being shaped to receive andtightly to hold said cord.

4. For use on an ironing board, a support for a flexible currentconducting cord made from a strip of flat resilient material, one end ofthe strip being folded to provide a tubular body having in the uppersurface thereof an axially directed slot from which extends a downwardlydirected slot along one side of the body, the opposite end of the stripbeing downwardly and inwardly bent to form a clamp shaped for engagementwith the board at the edge thereof to maintain the support firmlyclamped in position thereon, a plunger seated for axial movement withinthe body, the outer end of the body having inwardly bent lips limitingmovement of the plunger therein, a compression spring between theplunger and the said lips to urge the plunger away from said downwardlydirected slot, a rod rising from the plunger through said slot for axialmovement therein with the plunger against the tension of said springinto registration with and downwardly through said vertically directedslot, the outer end of the rod being shaped to receive and tightly tohold said cord.

5. For use on an ironing board, a support for a flexible currentconducting cord made from a strip of flat resilient material, one end ofthe strip being folded to provide a tubular body having in the uppersurface thereof an axially directed slot from which extends a downwardlydirected slot along one side of the body terminating in an axiallydirected recess, the opposite end of the strip being downwardly andinwardly bent to form a clamp shaped for engagement with the board atthe edge thereof to maintain the support firmly clamped in positionthereon, a thimble shaped plunger seated for axial movement within thebody, the outer end of the body having inwardly bent lips limitingmovement of the plunger therein, a compression spring in the plungerbearing against said lips to urge the plunger away from said downwardlydirected slot to the inner end of the body, a rod rising from theplunger through said slot for axial REFERENCES CITED The followingreferences are of record in the file of tliis patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 1,172,134 Harold Feb. 15, 19161,606,065 Eveleth Nov. 9, 1926 1,673,704 Palmer et a1 June 12, 19281,999,089 Dowden Apr. 23, 1935 2,478,498 Myers Aug. 9, 1949

